When Death Almost Does us Part
by lovegp227
Summary: What happens when death could separate Tony and Ziva forever? This story shows how Tony and Ziva both react when they know they may never see each other again. If you love TIVA that makes you're heart skip a beat, than this is the story for you:) Hope you enjoy! *COMPLETED*
1. Chapter 1

It was the sound that Ziva David had heard so many times before. The sound that never frightened her until she was with those that she cared so deeply for. The sound that, in this context, made her heart sink into her stomach. It was a gunshot. It rang out so loudly in this tiny rambler, and she spun around as quickly as she possibly could. She stood, staring down the suspect, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Tony lying on the floor, gasping for air. A million emotions filled her at once, but the first was rage. She sent three shots out directly at the suspect's chest, and he quickly collapsed to the floor, motionless.

Ziva ran to Tony as fast as she could, propping him up on her knee and taking off her jacket in an attempt to apply pressure to his wound. "Damn it Tony! Why did you have to go and get shot?" Ziva had just lost her father three months ago, and the last thing she needed now was to loose him too. "I'm sorry sweetcheeks, I guess I should have caught the bullet like you would've." Tony said in a sarcastic whisper.

"Maybe." Ziva said, feeling the tears start to flow down her cheeks. She pulled out her phone to send an SOS text to Gibbs. He would know what to do with that, and she didn't have time to make a phone call right now; all of her attention was on the man lying before her.

"Ziva I need to tell you something, I-" Tony was barely able to whisper the words before Ziva stopped him. "No Tony, you aren't giving me any of your dying last words now, because you aren't dying!" Ziva exclaimed with tears streaming down her face. "I won't let you die, not now, not after everything that's happened." Ziva thought back to all of the times he'd saved her life. Coming to rescue her in Somalia and almost dying while at it, or how he had warned her countless times before she was shot at. There was no way she was going to let him die. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever like this.

Tony looked up at her with pleading eyes, suddenly very serious. "Ziva, please." As tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto his coat, Ziva decided to let him speak. What use was it now, her attempting to silence him just as she had a thousand times before? He was dying, and she knew it.

"Ziva, I want you to know that you've always been there for me, as a-" Tony knew he had a very short amount of time left to speak, so he decided to get to the point. "..and I love you, Ziva." The last few words barely slipped out of his lips as the paramedics rushed in, along with Gibbs and Tim.

On the floor of the house, covered in Tony's blood Ziva sat motionless. Hearing Tony say those words out loud was almost too much to take in. She sobbed as the paramedics picked up Tony's almost lifeless body and placed him swiftly but carefully onto a stretcher. As he was being wheeled down the hall, Ziva wondered what the hell she was thinking. All of these years she'd loved him, and they both knew it. Why now, in the face of death, could she not tell him herself? She struggled to stand up but ran as fast as she could to Tony's side. "Tony!" She practically screamed, running up and grabbing his hand. "Tony, I love you too!" She could see Tony's eyes open just the slightest bit wider at her confession, as well as a tiny smiled that formed on his face. Quickly though an oxygen mask was placed over his lips, silencing any words he may have wanted to say to his partner.

Ziva stopped dead in her tracts, and collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably as they wheeled Tony away and into the ambulance. She tried to breathe normally, but there was no doing that now. Gibbs was at her side in a split second, with his hand on her shoulder trying to calm her down. "He can't die. He can't die!" Ziva yelled out as if somehow her words could prevent his death, which seemed imminent.

"He loves me Gibbs." She whispered, the words barely audible above the sirens and her own flooding tears. "And I love him too."


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry to leave such a huge cliffhanger last time, but it seems that I have done it again:) I KNOW YOU MAY WANT TO, BUT DON'T JUMP TO THE END OF THE CHAPTER! I promise it will be worth it:) I will continue to update the story very soon though, I promise- I know exactly what I'm going to write!

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As Ziva paced back and forth down the hallway of the hospital, a million thoughts bounced around in her head. 'Will he survive? If he does survive, would they end up together? And if not-' Ziva couldn't even finish the thought without shuddering. She knew now more than ever that she couldn't live without him, and she wouldn't want to. 'Maybe this is how Tony felt when he thought I'd died in Somalia.' She pondered. How horrible this made her feel, that it was even possible she could have unknowingly inflicted so much pain on the man she loved.

Ziva's thoughts were interrupted by Tim walking up to her with a cup of coffee. As he handed it over to her, she noticed how pale his face and lips were. The shooting obviously had taken a toll on the other members of the team as well. "We should know the results of Tony's surgery soon." Tim stated, obviously trying to sound hopeful for her sake. Tim had heard Ziva's confession to Tony, and he wasn't sure how to react to the situation. "Thank you Tim." Ziva said, showing just the tiniest bit of a smile.

Seconds later Abby came running through the doors toward Ziva and Tim. "Oh my gosh! Where's Tony? Is he alright?! Where is he McGee?!" Abby yelled frantically before she stopped to stare at Ziva. "Oh my gosh Ziva! Were you shot too? What the hell is going on?" Ziva looked up at Abby, puzzled by her questions. 'Why would she think I'd been shot?' She looked down at her coat and suddenly knew why. Ziva's jacket and pants were both caked with dried blood. "I'm fine Abby. It's not my blood." Ziva replied curtly.

"Oh my." Abby's hand flew to her mouth, shocked by what she was hearing. She knew it must be Tony's blood that covered Ziva. Abby silently took a seat next to Ziva. "I'm so sorry about all of this. You two loved each other very much, didn't you?"

As Ziva shot her head around to look at Tim, Abby winced, realizing she must have said something that she shouldn't have. "Tim, you told her?!" Ziva asked crossly, more embarrassed than actually angry. "I'm sorry Ziva, she was pressing for details…" Tim sheepishly looked down at the backpack in his lap, trying to find someway to change the subject.

"Oh Ziva! I almost forgot to tell you! While they were loading Tony into the ambulance, he told me I had to make sure you got this." Tim exclaimed, handing Ziva Tony's backpack. "He basically ripped the oxygen mask off of his face to tell me, so I'm guessing it's pretty important."

Ziva looked perplexed as she stared at the bag in front of her. 'Tony's backpack? Why would he want me to have this?' Ziva wondered as she slowly unzipped it. For some reason that even she did not know, Ziva decided to open it by herself down the hall. "I'll be right back."

As Ziva sat down on the cold tile of the hallway floor, she wondered what in this backpack could be so important. 'In the face of death, this is what Tony wanted me to have. Why?'

Ziva slowly emptied the contents of the backpack, and pulled out three old gum wrappers, a white tee shirt, sunglasses, and a copy of the movie Tony was going to lend her. 'Why would he need me to have the movie? I had already seen it once-' Ziva cut off her own thought as she saw there was one more pocket in the front of the backpack. She reached in and felt around for a moment. Ziva furrowed her brow as her fingers wrapped around what felt like a small square. She pondered what it could be as she pulled a beautiful black jewelry box from Tony's backpack. As she opened the box, Ziva gasped and burst out crying once again.

Nestled in between two tiny felt pillows sat a diamond engagement ring.


	3. Chapter 3

I know, I know- I love to keep you all in suspense! I really appreciate the reviews, so please keep them coming:) I will update again soon- I promise! This began as basic TIVA fluff, but I might just continue the story for a little longer than I had originally planned... Let me know your thoughts!

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Ziva just stared at the diamond ring. What was Tony thinking just carrying this around in his backpack? Was he just going to randomly propose to her one day at a crime scene? Or was the ring not meant for her? Just the thought of that made her heart skip a beat. 'He loves me.' Ziva thought, desperately trying to calm her nerves. 'And there is no way in hell Tony would be that much of a jerk.' She was attempting to reassure herself, and was glad it was working. Tony would never tell her he loved her, and then let her stumble upon an engagement ring meant for someone else._ 'He basically ripped the oxygen mask off of his face to tell me, so I'm guessing it's pretty important.'_ As Ziva recalled Tim's words from earlier, she knew that it was meant for her. Tony was a wiseass, but not a jackass.

As her eyes drifted to the box laying open on Tony's backpack, she noticed a small white slip of paper sticking out of the front pocket. It was a receipt, and with closer inspection she realized it was for the ring. It read, _'__Three Stone Round Diamond Engagement Ring, 2.50ct Platinum, size 7.4' _Ziva gasped. That was her exact ring size- Gibbs had Tony buy her a faux-diamond ring for when they went undercover those many years ago. He must have kept her ring size written down somewhere all of these years.

Realizing what this meant sent Ziva's emotions into a frenzy once again."Damn you Tony." Ziva muttered, shaking her head with a smile on her face. Now that she had cleared most of that up for herself, she decided to take a further look at the ring. As she pulled it out of the box she noticed how absolutely stunning it was- three round diamonds with the largest in the center. The intricate detail around the band took her breath away. She slipped it onto her left hand- it was a perfect fit.

Ziva's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Abby running up to her. "Ziva! Ziva! Tony's out of surgery- and he's stable!" She yelled with a huge smile that stretched from ear to ear. "The doctors say that we can see him as soon as- what the hell is that?" Abby was staring at the giant rock on Ziva's left hand. As soon as Ziva followed Abby's gaze, she quickly but carefully tucked it into the box, and then the backpack.

"Nothing. It's really nothing." Ziva said anxiously, not wanting anyone to find out about her 'almost' engagement before her and Tony could sort this out themselves.

"IT ISN'T NOTHING! IT'S A RING!" Abby practically screamed while jumping up and down. "Abby! Shhhhh!" Ziva said, trying her best to calm her down. "I don't even know what it means yet! Let's not jump to conclusions." Ziva said, turning around to avoid Abby seeing her smile. If Tony was stable, then she knew exactly what it meant.

"Okay fine. This is still amazing though. Oh my gosh- you and Tony. How could I not see it before?" Abby was already pacing up and down the hallway. "You two are perfect for each other!"

Ziva spun around when she heard someone walking towards them- it was a nurse. "Hello, are you Ms. David?' The nurse asked, who already knew the answer when she saw Ziva coated in dried blood. "Yes, I am." Ziva said, her heart suddenly skipping a beat.

"Mr. DiNozzo is ready for visitors now- and he has been asking for you." Ziva was frozen, as if she didn't know what to do next. Abby could sense this, so she grabbed Ziva's shoulders and turned her so she was looking her in the eye. "You can do this Ziva- I know you can." Abby said, smiling at her with reassurance in her voice. "Thank you Abby." Ziva grabbed Tony's backpack and followed the nurse to Tony's room.


	4. Chapter 4

Hope you enjoy this chapter- it's much longer than the other three! I love your reviews so please keep them coming. Also I have a start to chapter 5, so expect that soon as well:)

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Ziva took a deep breath as she slowly opened the door to Tony's room. As soon as her foot crossed the threshold, his eyes opened wide and a nervous smile spread across his face. "Hey Ziva." Tony said awkwardly, not really knowing how to speak to her. He wasn't even sure if she'd ever received his backpack, it had been a pretty eventful day.

"Hi." Ziva whispered. Once again she was frozen where she stood, not sure what to do or say. "Um, so… we should talk." Ziva said, finally walking towards Tony and pulling up a chair beside his bed. "You never cleaned up? There was a tee shirt in that backpack I told McGee to give you." Tony said, desperately wanting to get an answer to his implied proposal. "Did you, um, ever get it?"

Ziva stared him down for a minute before lightly hitting him on the arm. She was annoyed at him, but certainly didn't want to inflict pain on the man. "Hey! What was that for?" Tony asked, looking confused. "Really Tony? Do you seriously even have to ask me that?" Ziva sat the ring box down on his lap. A sudden wave of disappointment and rejection came over Tony's face. "That is what _that _is for. You tell me in you're dying last breath that you love me, and then you have McGee give me this?" Ziva said, picking up and lightly shaking the ring box. "Why the hell didn't you wait until you were out of surgery? Why did you have to basically give me a heart attack on the floor of the hospital? I sat there, covered in your blood, crying not knowing what to do or even think! Also, when did you buy that ring? Were you just going to randomly get down on one knee at a crime scene or something? I mean we've never even dated Tony!" Ziva stood up, meanwhile taking a breath and studying Tony. He looked so dejected and defeated that she stopped talking.

"Ziva, I didn't know if I was going to live this morning. All I could think about as they wheeled me into the ambulance was you, and making sure you got that ring." Tony said, looking down at the box on his lap. "I bought the ring a couple of months ago after Dearing's latest attempt to blow all of us up. It made me realize just how quickly those we care about can be taken away from us." He said the words with such thoughtfulness that Ziva actually decided to hear him out, which she rarely did. "By the way Ziva, you said you loved me too this morning- it didn't just go one way."

Ziva grimaced at the memory of him lying on that stretcher looking so helpless. "Yes, I did say that." Ziva stated briskly. Tony suddenly looked so depressed, like he had just been shot once again. "Did you mean it, or did you say it just in case I didn't make it? Because from my point of view, we've basically been dating for the past seven years." Tony said, his tone suddenly changing from sadness to anger. "I don't need your pity Ziva! If you don't want me, or the ring- maybe you should just go."

There was a silence in the room as his words echoed in Ziva's ears, tears beginning to silently stream down her face once more. "I do love you Tony. I love you more than you could ever know. You just…" Ziva whispered the words, trailing off because she didn't know what to say. "I just scared you." Tony replied, knowing exactly how she felt. A wave of sympathy suddenly washed over him, remembering how hopeless he felt when he thought Ziva was dead in Somalia and there was absolutely nothing that he could do about it.

"Yes Tony. I don't ever want to feel that way again." Ziva looked down at the ring box, thinking back to the feeling she got when she realized it was meant for her, but she may never get to wear it. "Everything you care about, gone in an instant. I felt so empty and lonely and just… awful Tony!" Ziva sat back down as more tears brimmed over her eyes. "As I held the ring in the hallway, all I could think about was that if you didn't live," Ziva shuddered at the thought, "I wouldn't want to either." Her words were barely audible at this point. They sat in silence for a moment before Ziva added, "I guess I can't live without you." Tony looked up at her, remembering those words as the very same ones he had said to her while they were being held captive together in Somalia.

Ziva stared at him intensely for a moment before grabbing his face and kissing him passionately. She had no more words, and she didn't know of any other way to get her message across to him. After about a minute Ziva pulled back ever so slightly, their faces just inches from one another. "So do you believe me now, Tony? That I do love you?" She whispered, pleading with him. Tony let out a small laugh. "Yes Ziva- I believe you." As she leaned in to kiss him once more, Tony stopped her.

"First things first sweetcheeks- we have some important business to attend to." As Ziva sat back in her seat looking perplexed, Tony pulled the ring from its box and grabbed her left hand. A huge grin flashed across Ziva's face, as Tony began his real proposal.

Tony stared at Ziva, suddenly very serious. "Ziva- I love you more than you will ever know. We definitely do not have the safest jobs in the world, and we'll never know exactly what tomorrow will bring. This morning as I stared down the barrel of that gun- all I could think about was how much regret I felt for not telling you all of this sooner. As I was lying there on the ground bleeding out, it felt awful that all I could mutter was a simple 'I love you', because how I feel goes so much deeper than that, and you deserve more." Tony took a breath and looked up at Ziva, who sat with tears streaming down her cheeks once again. This time though, they were tears of happiness. "So- Ziva David, will you marry me?"

Just hearing those words come out of Tony's mouth didn't even seem real, but let's face it; most of today hadn't felt real to Ziva. Taking a deep breath, she revealed her final answer. "Yes Tony- I'll marry you." Tony slipped the ring onto her finger- and just like earlier, it was a perfect fit. They both laughed in unison and as Ziva leaned into kiss Tony, she heard a tiny squeal from outside the door.

They both shot their heads around to find Abby sneakily leaning in the doorway, a huge grin plastered on her face. "I knew it! I told you the ring was for you Ziva!" As Abby came running in, Tim followed behind her with a shocked look on his face. "Wow McSneaky- way to invade our privacy!" Tony exclaimed in fake annoyance.

"I think that began this morning when you basically asked me to propose to Ziva for you." Tim stated with raised eyebrows.

"Okay I see your point- I guess I'll let you off the hook this time probie." Tony smiled at Tim as Abby jumped in front of him to give Tony a hug. "I was so worried about you Tony!"

"Thanks Ab- I was a little concerned as well, you know the whole getting shot at thing can be slightly disconcerting." Tony said sarcastically. As they all laughed and hugged one another, Gibbs slipped quietly into the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Here it is- the final chapter! I hope you like it. I'd love your thoughts on the story in the review section below, as well as any recommendations for my next one:) THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE POSITIVE FEEDBACK- I REALLY APPRECIATE IT! :D

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"Oh- hey boss!" Tony exclaimed suddenly feeling the need to smooth his hair and sit up straight. "So- what the hell is going on?" Gibbs asked, not sounding angry but mostly just confused. His eyes suddenly focused in on the diamond ring on Ziva's finger. Gibbs quietly cursed to himself, not knowing quite how to respond to the news. After their confessions to one another this morning Gibbs expected them to start dating, not get engaged.

"Oh yeah boss so- we're kinda engaged." Tony said awkwardly as Ziva squeezed his hand nervously.

"I can see that DiNozzo." Gibbs said quietly. "Of course you can, sorry boss." There was a short silence that seemed to last an eternity as Gibbs and Tony stared one another down. Slowly Gibbs eyes drifted away from Tony as he stared at the ceiling. "Ok- everybody out but Tony and Ziva."

McGee and Abby looked at each other, both fearful for the fate of their coworkers. Would they be kicked off the team? This was the question running through their minds as they stood up to leave.

Once the door was shut behind them, Gibbs pulled up a chair on the other side of Tony's bed. He flinched back, as if he was expecting a headslap or something.

"Nervous, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked with a sly grin across his face. "I don't know boss- should I be?" Tony asked the question jokingly, but obviously was conerned for his – and his fiancé's wellbeing.

"No Tony- you and Ziva aren't going to be kicked off the team." As soon as the words had left Gibbs' mouth, the two lovebirds were already glancing at each other- genuinely shocked by Gibbs' sudden acceptance to their relationship.

"But- what about rule #12?" Tony asked the question warily, almost as though he didn't want to remind Gibbs about his rule against dating coworkers- as if he could've forgotten.

"Can I tell you two something- in secret?" Gibbs asked, leaning in close. Both Ziva and Tony looked incredibly intrigued. "Of course you can!" Ziva replied, speaking for the first time since Gibbs arrival.

"Well- that rule was put into place to stop meaningless one night stands or short office flings- and the awkwardness that ensues. The last thing that I need is some personal issue getting in the way of my people doing their jobs." Gibbs said, looking off into the distance as if remembering an unfortunate previous event. "If two people are committed to one another in a long term relationship, I really don't care. Just don't let it affect your work."

Ziva and Tony sat perfectly still, mouths gaping open. Had he really just allowed them to begin a relationship together with no consequences for their actions, which seemed rash and slightly foolish at best? "Don't piss me off Tony." Gibbs said, glaring down at the young man who had become almost like a son to him. He meant his statement in two ways- don't bring it into NCIS, and don't mess this up with Ziva. He wanted them to be happy, but he knew Tony didn't have the best track record with women.

"Thanks boss." Tony said, smiling up at Gibbs. "I'll do my best." He knew what Gibbs was hinting at, and this time Tony was in it for the long haul- no more meaningless flings.

"You better." Gibbs said, smiling as he stood up and walked to the door. "Oh and by the way- congrats. I hope you have better luck than me." Gibbs was gone just as quickly as he had come, and Tony and Ziva were once again left to their own devices.

"So Ms. David- some crazy stuff going down today, huh?" Ziva looked at Tony who was beaming up at her. Who would've thought that a day, which began so horrific and gruesome, could end with such happiness? That two people who began this morning as partners searching a suspect's house for clues, could leave with an entirely knew outlook on life? As Ziva looked at her new fiancé, she felt something that she never had before. She no longer had that empty feeling that came over her this morning as Tony was loaded into that ambulance. She had felt so alone, like her entire body had been drained of any happiness that still inhabited her tortured soul.

Ziva looked up at Tony, with an immovable grin upon her face. "Well, things most certainly can change when death almost does you part."


End file.
